You already knew Tim Lincecum will pitch the season opener March 31 at Dodger Stadium. Now we know the rest of the rotation order.

Manager Bruce Bochy confirmed what GM Brian Sabean announced on KNBR’s morning show with Murph and Mac: The Giants will slot Jonathan Sanchez in between Lincecum and Matt Cain, with Barry Zito and Madison Bumgarner occupying the Nos. 4-5 spots in the rotation.

It’s a big vote of confidence in Sanchez, who petered out in his final three playoff starts of 2010 but beat the Padres in the final regular-season game to help the Giants clinch the NL West. Sabean and Bochy both said Sanchez has the potential to be a front-of-the-rotation starter in the league, and they hope he is encouraged by this decision.

Sanchez said yes, it’s a great feeling to break as the No.2 starter, and his goal will be to pitch consistently deep into games. That’s something he struggled to do at times because of pitch efficiency issues; he led the NL in walks last season.

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Bochy also said the staff ruled out the option to start Bumgarner in the minors and using four starters to begin the season. (That’s something they could’ve done because of days off in the first week.) Instead, Bochy and pitching coach Dave Righetti plan to use the five starters in order and give them the extra rest whenever the team has a day off — a strategy that served them well last season.

Bochy said he’s not worried about Bumgarner’s increased workload last season, pointing out that he threw harder as the year went along. They think he’s a big, country strong kid who can handle it. Yet Bochy said the staff will monitor all five pitchers carefully, and if Bumgarner needs a break, putting him in the No.5 spot will make it easier to skip him should the need arise.

Freddy Sanchez won’t start swinging off live batting practice pitchers until Saturday. Also, Aubrey Huff has been icing a sore wrist. But he took BP today and will start Saturday, Bochy said.

The lineup provides a pretty strong clue that Burrell will be considered the incumbent in left field.

Pitchers who are on the list after Lincecum: Bumgarner, Casey Daigle, Javier Lopez, Steve Edlefsen.

Joe Saunders is scheduled to go for the Diamondbacks.

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The Giants’ annual prospect-laden intrasquad game went three innings and it was a bit rough out there. Shortstop Brandon Crawford booted a grounder and threw the ball past the first baseman for what should’ve been scored a double error. Francisco Peguero misplayed a single into a double in right field. Center fielder Gary Brown got a bad break on a blooper. Jason Stoffel allowed five hits in an inning.

But there were some nice moments, too. Brandon Belt singled and didn’t seem too bothered by a foul ball off his foot. Belt also made a nice recovery, not rushing the play after a ground ball deflected off his chest. (The infield is always rock hard here on these Arizona fields.) Marc Kroon retired all three of his batters, striking out two — including Belt on a nasty slider. Brown stole second base after drawing a leadoff walk. Tommy Joseph hit a single and drove in the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly. And Crawford had two hits for the unimaginatively named “Team B,” which threw a no-hitter in winning 3-0.

One prospect who didn’t take part was smooth-fielding shortstop Ehire Adrianza, who is coming down with the flu.

Andrew Baggarly

Andrew Baggarly has documented the most eventful era in San Francisco Giants baseball history, having covered the team since 2004 for th​ree major media outlets including the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune​. This is his 20th season as a baseball writer.
​Baggarly is the author of the bestselling book, A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants, and the newly published Giant Splash: Bondsian Blasts, World Series Parades and Other Thrilling Moments By the Bay. Baggarly’s other notable life accomplishments include running as the Bratwurst in the Milwaukee Sausage Race and becoming a three-time Jeopardy! champion.

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Ach, please keep us up to date on Huff’s wrist. That could be big, much bigger than Wilson’s back.

Andrew Baggarly

I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. He looked fine in BP today, making hard contact. Guys ice half their bodies during the season.

FILTHpig

Wow, I don’t know about that lineup.

Personally, I’d like to see Belt at first, Huff in left and Torres in CF to start the season. Sanchez should be the starter again at 2nd base.

BUT, I’ll give Bochy the benefit of the doubt since he won World Series and all.

Jimmy

Do you find it dissapointing that the MLB Network won’t be airing a Giants Spring Training game until March 11?!?! I think that is ridiculous. But of course the first game they will be airing is Yankees vs. Phillies. It is so frustrating that Giants don’t get the respect that they deserve. I know KNBR will have most of the games, but I want to SEE the Giants play, not just listen.

spliff(TONE)

Rowand in CF? Yes, I know this is Spring Training and doesn’t necessarily equate to much, but come on! Is there something ailing Torres, or is this just throwing the gamer a bone before the season starts and he is relegated to refilling the Gatorade cooler.

Regardless, I can’t wait for the day when I have absolutely zero concern of Rowand manning CF for this team. Torres should NEVER be pushed to a corner outfield spot to make room for this overpaid roster filler; I don’t care what the situation is.

WillD

Andrew–Do you know if the Spring Training games not broadcast on KNBR will be aired on MLB with D. Greenwald as per the past few years?

WillD

@TONE Why don’t you give the manager a chance to manage? More faith in Bochy’s decisions than yours. If decisions were left to guys like you, Renteria would have never been around to hit the game winner in Game 5, he would have been run out of town instead. Give the Rowand comments a rest!!

Bret

Why is there a DH?

spliff(TONE)

@WillD: No thanks. I will speak about that which concerns me. Have fun attempting to dictate what others have to say though.

WillD

@TONE I understand, I am not a huge Rowand fan either and I am not trying to dictate your posts. Apparently, I just have a lot more faith in management than you do.

El Gigante

Looks like the Lunatic Fringe is already in mid-season form. Bochy should get his Championship Ring fitted for his middle finger so he can show it off to all the lineup complainers.

bigboneded

Just because THE GIANTS won a World Series, doesn’t allow Bork a pass on making boneheaded moves. They won despite all of that.

The real issue is with the reporting. To begin with the statement, “lineup will resemble…except for the DH” gave the wrong impression. Obviously, Sanchez will be at 2B with Huff at 1B and Torres in CF. So “resemble” meant 66% the same.

It looks like the Giants may be hoping to sell someone on Rowand or somebody wants to see him before a deal is made. Fingers crossed!

ClutchUp

@ BigBoned/Spliff Tone….

I agree 100000% with El Gigante and Bochy’s middle finger ring:

Fans…Posters and all “Nostrodomises”…

– Rest assured something is up in SFGiants land. Some of us want Belt to break camp with the Giants, some want the other Casilla pitcher to make it, Zito to be dealt to the Yankees, Burriss to finally break through, Rowand to be CUT (won’t happen), Whiteside to lose his number two catching spot to Sandoval, Fontenot to have NEVER been re-signed and for us to keep both Nate and Ishikawa and many more scenarios.

– As you can see below, something’s got to give because counting up the numbers below – WE – are at 26 and the meat of the season is played with 25.
– Bochy is giving Rowand veteran lip service so that he has a good spring training and somebody will want to “deal” for him.
– Burrell might have been the smartest guy in the off season by agreeing for a contract that players on other teams criticized him – accusing him of lowering the bar.

We lost Renteria and Uribe; Gained Tejada.
Have Posey/Burrell/Ross/DeRosa/Javier Lopez/Casilla/Ramirez/Fontenot and Freddie Sanchez for a theoretical full 162. Last year Runzler and Affeldt were on and off the DL and others took their spot on the 25 with Affeldt making the post season but not Runzler.

In my humble opinion most Giants fans fell IN LOVE with the fluctuating 25 man roster BUT ESPECIALLY the expanded 40 man allowance. Fans loved the Ford’s of the club BUT that was September call ups. If the front office makes deals…I can hear some fans BASHING those deals because they associated with that group of blue collar-type player. We won got into the post season on game 162. “Got by” the Braves with “some help”. Attacked and pillaged the Phillies and brought the World Series home to San Franciso by beating the Rangers in five.
– Looking back now, Bochy and the entire front office should have gotten respective awards with the amount of juggling involved.

If we are as successful as I am sure we will be, there will be changes, restrictions, additions, subtractions – and – yes – more torture.

The way I see it, winning the World Series does give Bochy much more cred than people commenting on a blog and ignoring the times they:

A) recommended Sabean and/or Bochy be fired;
B) said that the Giants can’t win with that lineup;
C) said that the Giants can’t win without trading a pitcher;
D) actually recommended that the Giants trade a young starting pitcher (particularly anyone among Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, and Bumgarner) for a good hitter;
E) openly lobbied for the Lincecum-Rios trade (double for him because of all he has done and will do); and
D) said that the Giants would never win a World Series with Sabean and/or Bochy

John the Checker

Because of the specialized pitching: starter, middle relief, set-up for 7 & 8 innings, and the closer, MLB should increase roster size to 30 players.

Good idea?

Ray

No. Force teams to juggle. 25 players is plenty.

seattlegiants

ahhh, good to hear everyone voicing their opinions again..we haven’t even had game 1 of Spring Training yet and the dogs have been let loose…love it! Oh by the way, We Are World Champs!

g_men

obsessivegiantscompulsive NAILED it! I couldn’t agree more with what he/she said and there’s nothing left to be said. FACT!

TONE,
I suspect that slotting Rowand in at CF is a bit of gamesmanship in an effort to build interest in a Rowand deal. If Rowand doesn’t perform or any interest dies out I would expect the Giants to move Torres back to center. This may also be a nod to Rowand not complaining about riding the bench down the stretch and giving him a shot to earn back his spot.

Jesse

Man I hope they skip a start somewhere, or reshuffle before the Rockies series in May, I got my first series tickets of the year and as it projects out now it’s Sanchy, Cainer, and Z. I got the bookends, so that kinda sucks for me. Was hoping for Lincecum and Cain, or even Cain and Bumgarnery. Still quite possible though, I guess.

spliff(TONE)

@theunwillingtocriticize/questionyourteambecausetheyareyourteam fringe: I am so sorry if I offended any of your delicate sensibilities. After further analysis, I have come to the conclusion that Aaron Rowand is an amazing baseball player, teammate, and human being.

@Citizen McGee: How can you not realize trying to hijack this blog on EVERY single new article posted comes off as extremely cheap and tacky?

wineguy

@Tone,

Agreed on both points.

Rowand is getting shopped around plain and simple.

Dorky

Nice one OGC

K&J

Great horny toads, are some people actually taking issue with a starting line-up for a SPRING TRAINING GAME?????

It’s the first game of the spring! Relax and enjoy the early work of the World Champion San Francisco Giants.

A) recommended Sabean and/or Bochy be fired;
With what they fielded opening day they should of been. Lucky they listened to a few of us and did something about that pethetic outfield and line up.

B) said that the Giants can’t win with that lineup; Again Bowker, Schierholtz batting in the middle of the order along with Molina is just pitifully sorry and never was going anywhere. With the elite pitching being wasted. Lucky some of us pushed the cause and gave some examples of good players they could pick up.

C) said that the Giants can’t win without trading a pitcher; Well without hitting the Jackpot with Ross and Burrel. The Giants Team was pitching healthy and off balanced there team. So yes a pitcher was the most likliest trade to get a quality difference maker back.

D) actually recommended that the Giants trade a young starting pitcher (particularly anyone among Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, and Bumgarner) for a good hitter; See C answer again you like repeating yourself.

E) openly lobbied for the Lincecum-Rios trade (double for him because of all he has done and will do); and
Actually I was rallying for Cain to be traded. and I think the real Cain is going to show up this year.

D) said that the Giants would never win a World Series with Sabean and/or Bochy
It worked they got off there duff and did something about there pathetic line up that you were so pleased with. ( do not be a hater ) somebody had to yell scream and shake things up. You can thank me later for Our World Series Champion Giants.

With all the back up outfielders like De Rosa, Huff. I much rather see Belt make the team then Schierholtz. Nate is not a back up. He needs at bats He is not a defensive upgrade he is still very raw outfielder. Belt has way more upside and value in the infield at firstbase.

Come all star break or trade deadline Belt will be up and most likely barring any major injury Schierholtz will be long gone. Why delay the inevitable.

Ford is a beter insurance and back up outfielder with his speed and defensive abilites.

For me, personally, I hope Rowand is traded with 8 million dollars for Nate McClouth and Kenshin Kawakami. McClouth makes Schierholtz redundant, and Kawakami, while he struggled mightly last year, adds rotation depth, and does not take a roster spot. Other than the braves, the most likely trade scenario is to Texas for Michael
Young and cash considerations. Young will take care of the back-up shortstop issue, however he is under contract through 2013 (Rowand is done after 2012) and is quickly declining, not to mention his struggle outside of arlington for years.

Some Guy

TitoMac, I totally agree with your second post.

The first post however was one of the most brain dead comments I’ve read on this blog (and that’s saying a lot). Do you really think Sabean and Bochy read these blog comments for your “good players to pick up”!? Do you really think, you “pushing the cause” on here led to sabean and bochy making shrewd decisions left and right last season!? They put a plan in place after Bonds left and they stuck to it and last year was the fruit of their labor. Trust me, you had nothing to do with personel decisions, lol.

Apologies if that post was just mocking the fire everybody crowd by responding with lunacy.

I know TitoMac well from when he used to post incessantly on the Giants official website message board about what a great player Todd Linden was. He just gets these notions in his head with nothing at all to back them up and runs them into the ground. Darren Ford is better than Nate Schierholtz? That’s a pretty typical comment from TitoMac. Expect him to be lobbying for Darren Ford all season.